The Western Force have pulled off one of their great wins, shocking the Brumbies in Canberra to continue their unbeaten start in 2025.
Despite being shown four yellow cards, the Force clinically bookended the game to secure one of their finest victories, winning 45-42.
“It’s one of the great wins in the history of this team,” former Wallaby Morgan Turinui said on Stan Sport.
While the Force ran out to a 21-0 lead after playing some of the best rugby in the franchise’s history, the Brumbies hit hard and took the lead early in the second half and seemed in control for most of the final 40 minutes.
But even though they were reduced to 13 men for much of the final quarter after yellow cards to captain Jeremy Williams and flanker Nick Champion de Crespigny, the visitors not only kept the Brumbies scoreless during the period, they scored a converted try to take the lead and win the match.
“I’m just happy for the boys,” former Brumby turned Force halfback Nic White said.
“We were in a dog fight. Credit to the boys, we stuck to our plan.”
The Western Force shocked the Brumbies in Canberra on February 22, 2025. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Although the Force shocked the Brumbies in 2023, it was the franchise’s first win in Canberra in an incredible 5060 days.
Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa, who was one of a handful of Test stars who returned to face the Force after missing the competition opener in Fiji, lamented his side’s slow start.
“There was always belief that we could come back, but you can’t start like that,” said Alaalatoa, who was missing his playmaker Noah Lolesio because of concussion.
“There were little areas off the ball that we weren’t good at, at the start, and the Western Force were good enough to capitalise on that, so credit to them.”
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham will be ruing a gigantic missed opportunity.
While the Brumbies were slow out of the blocks, the former Wallabies playmaker will have been left flabbergasted at how his side lost the game given their numerical advantage and territory when the Force went down to 13.
But some poor decision-making, carelessness in attack and a supremely dogged display from the Force saw the visitors pinch a game that could well represent the turning point in their history after 20 years of underachieving.
“The fact that those boys with 13 men on the field held them at bay, I thought they did a great job,” said Force coach Simon Cron.
The Force had many heroes.
NSW recruit Dylan Pietsch was superb and scored twice, Williams, who like his wing teammate was shown a tough yellow card, was brilliant at the lineout while his second-row partner Darcy Swain was industrious on a special evening for the Force.
Indeed, after making up the numbers for years, the Force finally fired a few shots and they landed.
Nic Dolly was clinical at the set-piece, Nic White was a pest and Sio Tomkinson, the little known mifielder who made a name for himself at the Highlanders, went hunting for Tom Wright and hit hard in the first half.
But just as eye-catching as the opening 20 minutes were, it was the poise of the final ten minutes that once again sealed the Force’s second straight win as Brandon Paenga-Amosa, who was left out in the opening match, delivered off the bench by scoring a try and keeping the ball tight as the Brumbies hunted for a turnover.
The win meant the Force finished round two in second spot, a point a drift of the Chiefs – the only other side unbeaten with two victories – on eight points.
While the Brumbies are midtable on five points ahead of a tough two-week tour of New Zealand, where Larkham’s men will take on the Chiefs and Blues in a potentially season-defining trip.
